Altered States of ConsciousnessAP PSYCH, MYERS – CH. 7

“His was a great sin who first invented consciousness.

Let us lose it for a few hours.”F. Scott Fitzgerald

Consciousness Our awareness of ourselves and our environment (constantly processing information)

Conscious Processing

•Slow, sequenced•Limited capacity•Good at problem solving

Unconscious Processing

•Fast•Parallel tracks simultaneously

Altered States of Consciousness

Consciousness is a continuum ranging from alertness to unconsciousness.

Manic alertness

High alertness

Waking Consciousness

Drowsiness and daydreaming

REM (dreaming) sleep

Non-REM sleep

Coma and vegetative state

Freud’s States of Consciousness

Conscious◦ Perception, thoughts

Preconscious◦ Memories, stored knowledge

Unconscious◦ Unavailable/hidden◦ Repressed memories,

dangerous/sexual desires◦ Protection from anger, guilt, shame

Sleep“I LOVE SLEEP. MY LIFE HAS THE TENDENCY TO FALL APART WHEN I’M AWAKE, YOU KNOW?”- ERNEST HEMINGWAY

Biological Rhythms Periodic physiological fluctuations

◦ controlled by your “biological clock”

Circadian rhythm - regular bodily rhythms that occur in a 24-hour period

Circadian Rhythm – Fun Facts

Light processed by retina triggers brain to increase/decrease production of melatonin

Can be disrupted/reset by adjusting sleep schedule◦ Jetlag, sleeping in late, etc

Artificial light delays sleep 25-hour circadian rhythm◦ Our ancestors attuned naturally to the 24 hour cycle with the day, but

artificial light and industrialization has interfered with our natural rhythm while the world still operates on a 24 hour schedule. (maybe why we always feel tired)

Sleep Stages Sleep - periodical, natural, reversible loss of consciousness

5 Stages (90 min cycles)◦ 1◦ 2◦ 3◦ 4◦ REM

Awake/relaxed◦ Just before you fall asleep◦ Alpha waves

Stage 1 Slowed breathing, irregular brain waves (typical of unremembered moments)

Sleep talking can occur

Hallucinations – sensory experiences that occur without sensory stimuli

◦ feeling of free falling to be awoken by a jerk

Stage 2 20 minutes into sleep cycle

Periodic appearance of sleep spindles (bursts of rapid, rhythmic brain wave activity)

Stage 3 Lasts only several minutes

Begin to produce large delta waves – the large, slow brain waves associated with deep sleep

Hard to awaken

Stage 4 Combined with stage 3 to last about 30 minutes

Delta waves – deep sleep

Hard to awaken

At the end, sleepwalking or bedwetting or night terrors may occur.

REM Sleep REM sleep – rapid eye movement sleep, a recurring sleep stage during which dreams commonly occur

Occurs about an hour into sleep cycles

Ascend through stages 4, 3, 2.

Sharp, short brain waves – look like waves of stage 1

REM Sleep Heart rate and breathing rise

Eyes dart around behind the lids

Motor cortex is active, but blocks movement messages – essentially paralyzed – paradoxical sleep

Gets longer throughout the night◦ Easier to immediately slip into if awoken towards the morning

Hallucinatory dreams – vivid, story-like

Why Sleep? Not everyone needs 8 hrs (newborns vs teens vs adults)

Unhindered sleep = 9 hrs

Sleep Theories Protection

◦ evolutionary

Recuperation ◦ body and brain

Memory ◦ Shed unimportant info, strengthen important info

Growth◦ Growth hormone – babies sleep more

Am I Sleep Deprived? – True or False1. I need an alarm clock in order to wake up at the appropriate time.

2. It’s a struggle for me to get out of bed in the morning.

3. Weekdays mornings I hit the snooze button several times to get more sleep.

4. I feel tired, irritable, and stressed out during the week.

5. I have trouble concentrating and remembering.

6. I feel slow with critical thinking, problem solving, and being creative.

7. I often fall asleep watching TV.

8. I often fall asleep after heavy meals.

9. I often fall asleep within 5 minutes of getting in bed.

10. I often fall asleep while relaxing after dinner.

11. I often fall asleep in lectures or warm rooms.

12. I often sleep extra hours on weekend mornings.

13. I often need a nap to get through my day.

14. I have dark circles around my eyes.

15. I often feel drowsy while driving.

3+ T’s = YOU NEED MORE

SLEEP!

Sleep Deprivation Depression

Increase likelihood of accidents

Decreased alertness

Decreased concentration

Irritability

Sleep Disorders - Insomnia

Recurring problems in falling/staying asleep

Natural and drug treatments

Sleep Disorders - Narcolepsy

Uncontrollable sleep attacks by falling into REM sleep at inappropriate times

◦ ~5 min◦ 1 in 2,000◦ Brain malfunctions

◦ Underproduction of neurotransmitters that signal alertness

◦ Reticular formation◦ Medication can help

Sleep Disorders – Sleep Apnea

Temporary cessations of breathing during sleep and repeated momentary awakenings

◦ 1 in 20◦ Typically overweight men◦ Irritability due to awakenings

Treatment - weight loss or mask that pumps air to keep airway open

Sleep Disorders – Night Terrors

High arousal and an appearance of being terrified◦ Stage 4, not REM (like nightmares)◦ Intense fear, panic, and movement◦ Mostly in children Sleep Infographic

Dreams“DREAMING IS A PHENOMENON OF PURELY INDIVIDUAL CONSCIOUSNESS, AND CONSEQUENTLY IMPOSSIBLE TO THOROUGHLY DECONSTRUCT BY A COMMUNITY OF RESEARCHERS. BUT DREAMING MATTERS.”-ANDREW WEIL

Dreams Sequence of images, emotions, and thoughts during REM sleep

Lucid dreaming – awareness of dreaming while dreaming

Modern theories:◦ Information processing (to file away memories)◦ To develop/preserve neural pathways.◦ Activation synthesis theory (to make sense of random neural static)

Freud’s Dream theory We dream to satisfy unconscious wishes and desires

◦ Manifest content – the remembered storyline of a dream

◦ Latent content – the underlying meaning of a dream◦ Unconscious drives and wishes that would be threatening if

expressed directly

Freud – dreams are the key to understanding the unconscious

Modern scientists – Unscientific, everyone can interpret dreams differently

Crash Course – Sleeping and Dreaming

Hypnosis

Complete the Attitudes on Hypnosis Questionnaire.Wait for instructions on how to calculate your score.

1. Reverse the value given to statements 6,7,9,10,11,13, and 14.2. Then add all values for the 14 questions.3. Scores can range from 14 to 98. 4. Higher scores reflect more positive attitudes toward hypnosis.

Do you have past knowledge or a personal experience that influenced your answers in the questionnaire?

Hypnosis A social interaction in which one person (hypnotist) suggests to another (subject) that certain perceptions, feelings, thoughts, or behaviors will spontaneously occur

◦ SNL Hypnotist

Power of hypnosis lies in the subject’s openness to suggestion

FAQ - Hypnosis Can anyone experience hypnosis?

◦ Yes – depends on suggestibility and belief◦ Highly suggestible people usually have rich imaginations/fantasies, often

become engrossed in novels, movies, storylines

FAQ - Hypnosis Can hypnosis enhance recall of forgotten events/memories?

◦ No – highly suggestible people can fall victim to leading questions from hypnotist

FAQ - Hypnosis Can hypnosis force people to act against their will?

◦ Sort of – depends on the suggestibility of the subject and the desire to conform to the “orders” of an authoritative figure

FAQ - Hypnosis Can hypnosis be therapeutic?

◦ Yes – has alleviated headaches, skin disorders, asthma◦ No – does not help addictions to alcohol, drugs, or tobacco◦ Post-hypnotic suggestion – suggestion made during a hypnosis session to be

carried out after the subject is no longer hypnotized

FAQ - Hypnosis Can hypnosis alleviate pain?

◦ Yes – hypnotized patients in surgical experiments were found to require less medication, recover sooner, and leave the hospital earlier than nonhypnotized patients

◦ Possibly diverting attention away from pain rather then being in a hypnotic state

FAQ - Hypnosis Is Hypnosis an altered state of consciousness?

◦ Maybe…. 2 theories

YES NO

SYSK - Hypnosis